This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008

Recently I saw some stores proclaiming that they would be open on Christmas Day. It reminded me of Charles Dickens and his opening lines describing Ebenezer Scrooge.

“He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge; a squeezing grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner; hard and sharp as flint from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; and solitary as an oyster.

"The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice; he carried his own low temperature always about him.”

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But no! Even the "covetous old sinner” let his employee, Bob Cratchett, have Christmas off. These businesses put Scrooge to shame. "Bah, humbug" to every one of them. I hope the good citizens of Middle Georgia will remember who was greedier than Scrooge and reward them throughout the year by taking their business elsewhere.

Bill SirmonFort Valley

Forbidden fruit

It's said when a person reaches his highest potential in life, he is more susceptible to falling. We see this with the alcoholic. It takes one drink to begin the downward plunge to disaster.

People scale the ladder of opportunity and become wealthy. They have all their heart desires, family, friends and health. Yet, one act of adultery can send a person to bankruptcy or even to the streets.

I find the high-tech information on a computer amazing. There are answers for almost anything one needs to know. Yet, within this system, you can press one key and find the most debasing filth ever conceived from a devil's hell.

The Garden of Eden was, "paradise on earth." Man and woman were created perfect, never to die, or even become sick. Within this garden was "forbidden fruit." We all know the story. One little sin, and mankind fell from being immortal to mortal.

There are forbidden areas in all states of life. Many prefer to walk in them. They have been either deceived or are totally ignorant.

Dwight PooleHawkinsville

Annexation plans

Your editorial on Mayor Robert Reichert’s annexation plans published Friday still left me with a few unanswered questions. Who’s going to be annexed?

Has the land area of the city diminished over the last 20 years? Did the exiting horde burn their houses on the way out? If not, is this same tax base not currently serving a significantly smaller population?

If Macon doesn’t have the wherewithal to govern its current area, should it be rewarded with greater responsibilities? Why not divest itself of area and overhead? What do the proposed newly “embraced” population have to look forward to for their gift of new taxes—higher garbage collection fees?

Is the black community going to quietly allow its voting strength to be watered down by the new, mostly-white city voters? Are the “new Maconites” going to support this administration for re-election?

I left Macon in 1990. I also left Warner Robins in 1974 and Centerville in 1975. Somehow Houston County has managed without me and I haven’t been back spending money there. Why hasn’t Macon managed?

Fred DismukeJuliette

NAFTA a disaster

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been a disaster as it has cost Americans hundreds of thousands of jobs. The architects of NAFTA are now expanding its reach piecemeal into a free trade area covering all nations of the Western Hemisphere by entering trade agreements with individual nations of South America.

These agreements take decisions out of the hands of our state and federal legislators and put regulatory powers in the hands of international tribunals. Joe InglisClarkesville

Disastrous legacy

Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan has become very defensive about his over-rated, legendary legacy. As we can easily see now, his purposeful inactions and self-satisfactions have come home to roost.

The rich like him because he approved of Mr. Bush’s ludicrous tax cuts. His adherence to an extreme, rigid, unrealistic ideology of the "magic of the free market" — with its doctrinaire aversion to almost any regulation of our financial systems is scary.

The current loan crisis is not accidental, and Greenspan is largely responsible for our current financial credit mess. Now we are paying for his ineptness and arrogance. His disastorous legacy will be millions of foreclosures and a long recession.

Frank W. Gadbois Warner Robins

Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and for the many blessings which you have so freely given me. Teach me how to give as freely as you have given to me. Dear lord, I want to begin this day in peace. Help me not to put my faith in people, but always in you. Forgive my failings and strengthen me to do your will. Amen.